Carrier



March 7. 1959 F. s. MARKIL 2,877,688

CARRIER Filed March 12. 1956 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 l r J 0) w INVENTOR. Frank/in $.Mar/u'2 A T TORNE Y.

March 17,' 1959 F. s. MARKIL 2,877,683

' CARRIER Fiied March 12, 1956 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. Franklin 8. Mar/til fa d fla a.

' A TTORNEY.

CARRIER 4 Sheets-Sheet 3' Filed March 12, 1956 INVENTOR. Franklin 5. Mar/u! ATTORNEY.

March 17, 1959 F. s. MARKIL 2,

' CARRIER Filed March 12, 1956 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 INVENTOR. Franklin 5 Mar/cc! aa a ATTORNEY.

United States CARRIER Franklin S. Markil, Roslyn Heights, N. Y., assignor to Republic Aviation Corporation, near Farmingdale, Suffolk County, N. Y., a corporation of Delaware Application March 12, 1956, Serial No. 570,934

4.Claims. (CI. 89-15) This invention relates in general to carriers and more specifically to carriers for association with aircraft or components thereof whereby an object may be releasably carried thereby and forcibly ejected therefrom.

The instant carrier is particularly adapted for use in association with a training bomb which stimulates an actual bomb in size and aerodynamic contour and where it serves to releasably support a sub-calibre bomb contained within said training bomb and to eject it with a predetermined force. It is to be understood, however, that the present carrier may be utilized for other purposes, asfor example to releasably carry aircraft stores such as flares, rockets and other objects that are released or dropped from the aircraft during flight.

Amongother objects, the present invention contemplates a carrier embodying means whereby an object, such as a sub-calibre bomb, may be securely, yet releasably, carried by or within an aircraft or a component thereof and positively released and forcibly ejected therefrom.

With the above and other objects in View as will become apparent, this invention consists in the construction, combination and arrangement of parts, all as hereinafter more fully described, claimed and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Fig. 1 is a side view, partially in section, of a training bomb showing the instant carrier mounted therein and carrying a sub-calibre bomb;

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the present carrier;

Fig. 3 is a side view thereof; and

Fig. 4 is a vertical section through the carrier, taken along line 4-4 of Fig. 3.

In the training of pilots and bombardiers in aerial bombing, it has become the practice to mount a training bomb in the aircraftthat is generally of the same weight and configuration as an actual bomb and which contains one or more sub-calibre bombs that are released or dropped during practice bombing runs. Among other requirements, the means by which the sub-calibre bombs are releasably mounted or carried within the training bomb must be capable of securely holding the sub-calibre bomb so that it will not be shaken loose or become disengaged from the holding means during maneuvering of the aircraft. However, the holding means must also be capable of positively and instantaneously releasing the sub-calibre bomb when it is desired so to do. In addition, it has been found desirable to impose a force on the sub-calibre bomb as it is released, i. e., forcibly eject it, in order that it will travel toward the target on a trajectory substantially similar to that of an actual bomb.

The carrier contemplated herein is so constructed and arranged that it meets all of the above requirements. In short, when utilized to releasably carry a sub-calibre bomb, the present carrier securely holds the bomb until it is to be'released and at that time instantaneously and forcibly releases it.

To these ends, the instant carrier includes two pairs of complemental bomb-engaging arms that are pivotally ice mounted and designed to snugly grasp a sub-calibre bomb at spaced intervals along its length. Each pair of complemental arms is connected to a toggle assembly that serves to lock them into engagement with the sub-calibre bomb. The toggle assemblies, in turn, are connected to a mechanism for simultaneously unlocking them so that the complemental arms completely release the sub-calibre bomb. In addition, the instant carrier also includes means for imposing a predetermined force upon the bomb that not only serves to hold the sub-calibre bomb in snug engagement with the arms, but also to forcibly eject it therefrom upon the unlocking of the toggles and the disengagement of the bomb-engaging arms from the bomb.

Referring to the drawings and in particular to Fig. l, 10 designates a training bomb simulating the weight, size and aerodynamic characteristics of an actual bomb and aadpted to be mounted on an aircraft. This training bomb 10 is hollow and provided with a pair of doors 11 that extend longitudinally along its bottom portion and which are connected to any conventional mechanism for moving them between closed and opened positions, thereby permitting access to the interior of the training bomb 10. The carrier contemplated herein, and indicated generally as 12, is mounted, in a manner to be more fully described, to any convenient internal structure 13 of the training bomb 10. However, the carrier 12 should be so positioned within the training bomb 10 that a sub-calibre bomb 14 may be readily engaged by 1 or released from the carrier 12 when the doors 11 are in their opened position. While only one carrier 12 has been illustrated in Fig. 1, it is to be understood that additional duplicate carriers may be mounted within the training bomb 10 the number of which depends upon its size and configuration.

As shown more particularly in Figs. 2, 3 and 4, the carrier 12 comprises a substantially flat rectangular base plate 15 having at each of its four corners a longitudinal extension or ear 16 that is provided Withan aperture 17 for the reception of suitable securing means. Thus,

.as shown in Fig. 1, bolts 18 are passed through the apertures 17 in the cars 16 to secure the base plate 15 of the carrier 12 to the internal structure 13 of the training bomb 10.

The base plate 15 is provided at each end thereof" with a relatively thick transverse depending flange 19. The ends of each flange 19 are each vertically bifurcated "by a slot 20 which extends partially intothe base plate 15. The slots 2 1) at the ends of each flange 19 are aligned transversely of the plate 15 and the corresponding slots 20 at opposite ends of the plate 15 align longitudinally thereof. Each pair of slots 20 is adapted to receive the upper portions of a pair of complemental movement within their respective slots 20 by means of a pivot pin 25 that passes through registered openings in the arm and the flange 19. The complemental arms 23-24 of each pair are provided, at the lower portions thereof, with curved or arcuate surfaces 23' and 24, respectively, that are designed to cooperate with each other to engage or embrace the sub-calibre bomb 14 when closed, i. e. when the arms are positioned substantially parallel with their lower ends adjacent. When the arms 23-24 are open, i. e. when they are angularly disposed relative to each other with the lower ends thereof spaced apart, the sub-calibre bomb 14 engaged thereby is released. For purposes that will hereinafter be set forth, the upper ends of the curved surfaces 23' and'24' are Patented Mar. 17, 1959 "sew the links 27 by the torsion springs 45 and the force or load of the springs 59 acting through the piston 55, the bomb 14 and the complemental arms 23-24. As a result, the complemental arms 23-24 are pivoted to move their curved surfaces 2324 away from the subcalibre bomb 14, thereby releasing it from the carrier 12 and ejecting it therefrom under the force or load imposed thereon by the spring assembly 48. It is mani fest that, by varying the strength of the springs 59, or their number, the force or load exerted thereby on the sub-calibre bomb 14 may be varied.

After the sub-calibre bomb 14 has been released as aforesaid, the torsion or clock springs 45 acting through their toggle assemblies 26 maintain the complemental arms 2324 open. Additionally, the actuation of the solenoid assembly 38 has moved the indicator button 42 to where it is projected beyond the outer surface of the training bomb 10, thereby indicating the release of the sub-calibre bomb 14.

What is claimed is:

1. A carrier for-use in a training bomb to releasably secure a sub-calibre bomb therein, said carrier comprising a base plate, a pair of complemental arms mounted at each end of said base plate for pivotal movement between closed and open positions, each pair of complemental arms having complemental curved engaging surfaces for substantially encircling the sub-calibre bomb in their closed position and complemental cam surfaces at the inner ends of the engaging surfaces operative against the outer surface of the sub-calibre bomb as it is moved toward said base plate between said complemental arms to pivot the same to their closed position to thereby engage the sub-calibre bomb, a toggle assembly associated with each of said pairs of complemental arms and operative to lock its associated pair of complemental arms in their closed position or to move them to their open position, means interconnecting said toggle assemblies for simultaneously unlocking them whereby each of said pairs of complemental arms pivots to their open position to release the sub-calibre bomb from engagement by the complemental curved engaging surfaces thereof, and means associated with said means for unlocking said toggle assemblies for indicating exteriorly of the training bomb the position of said pairs of complemental arms.

2. A carrier for releasably carrying a sub-calibre bomb within a training bomb, said carrier comprising a base plate, spaced pairs of complemental arms mounted to the opposite ends of said base plate in parallel relationship and for pivotal movement between closed and open positions, said pairs of complemental arms being adapted adjacent one end thereof to engage the sub-calibre bomb in their closed position and to release it in their open position, said pairs of complemental arms embodying means adjacent the opposite end thereof to cooperate with the sub-calibre bomb as it is moved toward the base plate to move said complemental arms to their closed position, toggle means for locking said spaced pairs of complemental arms in their closed position, resilient means carried by said base plate between said spaced pairs of complemental arms for imposing a predetermined ejecting force on the sub-calibre bomb engaged by said pairs of complemental arms, and means for unlocking said toggle locking means whereby said resilient means pivots said spaced pairs of complemental arms to their open position and the sub-calibre bomb engaged thereby is ejected therefrom under a predetermined force and along a selected trajectory.

3. A carrier for releasably carrying a sub-calibre bomb within a training bomb, said carrier comprising a base plate, a pair of complemental arms mounted at each end of said base plate for pivotal movement between open and closed positions, said pairs of complemental arms being disposed parallel one to the other and the arms of each of said pairs of complemental arms being adapted at one end thereof to engage the sub-calibre bomb when in their closed position, means adjacent the opposite end of each of said pairs of complemental arms for cooperation with the sub-calibre bomb to move the same into the closed position thereof upon the movement of the sub-calibre bomb toward the base plate between said pairs of complemental arms, a toggle assembly individual to and operatively connected with the other end of the arms of each of said pairs of complemental arms for locking them in the closed position thereof and in engagement with the sub-calibre bomb, a spring assembly carried by said base plate between said pairs of complemental arms and operative against the sub-calibre bomb engaged by said pairs of complemental arms to impose a predetermined ejecting force thereon, and means interconnecting said toggle assemblies for simultaneously unlocking the said pairs of complemental arms whereby the sub-calibre bomb is ejected therefrom under the predetermined force of said spring assembly and along a selected trajectory.

4. A carrier for releasably carrying a sub-calibre bomb within a training bomb, said carrier comprising a base plate, a pair of complemental arms mounted at each end of said base plate for pivotal movement between open and closed positions, the arms of each of said pairs of complemental arms being adapted at one end thereof to engage the sub-calibre bomb when in the closed position thereof and embodying means adjacent the opposite end thereof to cooperate with the sub-calibre bomb when it is moved between said pairs of complemental arms toward said base plate to move said pairs of complemental arms to their closed position, a toggle assembly individual to and operatively connected with the other end of the arms of each of said pairs of complemental arms for locking them in the closed position thereof and in engagement with the sub-calibre bomb, a spring assembly carried by said base plate between said pairs of complemental arms and operative against the sub-calibre bomb engaged by said pairs of complemental arms to impose a predetermined force thereon, means interconnecting said toggle assemblies for simultaneously unlocking the said pairs of complemental arms whereby the sub-calibre bomb is ejected therefrom under the predetermined force of said spring assembly and along a selected trajectory, and means for indicating exteriorly of the training bond the position of said pairs of complemental arms.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,302,747 Wondra May 6, 1919 1,374,314 Morse Apr. 12, 1921 2,071,594 Trimboch Feb. 23, 1937 2,451,476 Darnall Oct. 19, 1948 2,461,406 Birk et a1. Feb. 8, 1949 2,466,980 Bronson Apr. 12, 1949 2,549,785 Douglas Apr. 24, 1951 2,597,760 Strahm May 20, 1952 2,699,908 Fletcher Jan. 18, 1955 FOREIGN PATENTS 861,681 France Nov. 4, 1940 

